The new BLAST Slam qualifier format is (almost) for everyone – two major regions missing

BLAST Slam heads into Season 4 with a different format, and it’s coming with a qualifier stage now. The tournament organizers surprised many with their Singapore LAN announcement. However, this time they also added that every event they host from now on will feature a live audience.

In their press release, BLAST said that they will be mixing the LAN format with an online stage. This means their tournaments will now last two weeks instead of one. Despite being the only Dota 2 competition that featured a fast-paced format, they are now changing to a more traditional style. However, they are adding some improvements, like regional qualifiers, a special invitation for fan-favorite teams, and more.

The qualifiers start from an open-for-everyone stage. But the elephant in the room is the absence of two major regions that have historically provided underdog stories for multiple international tournaments: North and South America.

The tournament operator indicates that 6 out of 12 teams will be directly invited. These teams will be representing “different” regions. However, these regions were not listed or stated. Following BLAST Slam formats prior to Season 4, their regions of interest are Europe (East and West), China, and SEA.

So, the qualifier format will be:

But BLAST Slam’s decision to avoid the Americas in their qualifier format isn’t unexpected. Both regions have been struggling to bring results, despite being sponsored by big organizations like OG, HEROIC, Shopify Rebellion, and Wildcard. This is even more notorious in North America. During The International qualifiers, most teams were improvised stacks, with players who only made their comeback during TI season.

Added to this, when South American teams manage to qualify for international events, they are eliminated during the early stages. They manage to play some exciting series, but the results are not there yet.

On the other hand, the mention of the “region hero” is a very welcome addition. This is a team that the fans from the region where the BLAST Slam is hosted will choose, giving a fresh touch to this format. For example, if the tournament happens in Singapore, SEA fans will place their favorite team directly in the Main Event.

BLAST announced that one team from the Americas will be invited to the Main Event. However, they didn’t specify which region, North or South. Also, the tournament operator added that they will handpick the team according to “Tier 1 results”.

Until this date, the BLAST Slam has been a 6-day LAN event without an audience, played in their studio in Copenhagen. Now, they will play a 6-day online stage, where the Top 2 teams of each group advance directly to the LAN semi-finals.

Teams that manage to make enough points to place from 3rd to 8th will have to qualify for the Quarter Finals through the Play-In. This stage is also LAN. Teams placing 9th to 12th will have to play the Last Chance before joining the Play-In.

The BLAST Slam Season 4 will be played in Singapore, which means that the region hero for this tournament will be a SEA team. The teams that want to compete to try and qualify will have to follow this schedule:

All the games are played as BO1 single elimination until the quarterfinals and semifinals, where matches are Bo3. No Bo5 Finals will be needed, since both finalists qualify for the closed stage.

The BLAST Slam’s renewed format is about to start for their Singapore event. Make sure to follow this event by checking our Dota 2 section regularly!